One Month, 24 Days

Is how long ago it started. 1 September. I woke up early that morning, put on some headphones and listened to some music for an hour or so. When I removed them to go outside, one of my ears was clogged as if it was full of water and I could hear faint noise in my right ear. Sound was like thin whistling. So it was just in one ear, the other was OK. I was really scared cause I knew one guy who had terrible tinnitus and went into deep depression over it. For the first two weeks it was tolerable. It was only in one ear and I could only hear it in dead silence or when I covered that ear. However, then it got worse. For a week or two I could hear it in both ears and all the time, it was like a really thin trumpet sound or something. It caused me huge anxiety thinking it was gonna get unbearable but thankfully it subsided a bit. It now varies between really thin whistling in both ears that I can only hear in dead silence or when I cover my ears and a bit louder echoing once in a while. It's louder in the right ear. I'm coping but it's hard. I'm only 24 and I really dread living with this till the end of my life, and I'm also really scared of it getting worse. Compared to most other people at least I can only hear it in dead silence so it doesn't stop me from normal life, but I really miss listening to music via earphones etc. Loud noise doesn't bother me per se, I just get really scared thinking it's gonna trigger an increase in the sound. Sleeping is relatively OK. I use a white noise app and concentrate on that and always fall asleep before it turns itself off. I usually set a water+boat creaking sound for 30 minutes. I sleep on the side so one ear has to be covered and then I can't escape the ringing so I just concentrate on the white noise.

Doctors aren't really being helpful. I went to a few, some said it might be a nose issue since I have some allergies that cause me to leak all the time, so I tried some therapy for that and am taking a bunch of vitamins but I'm losing hope of it stopping. I had all tests and I don't have a hearing loss, and everything else is basically OK.

 

Hey man,

We are with you here and i am so trully sorry you had to join this "club". You are lucky that you have it only in one ear and it is mild. I have in both and is like 6/10 on loudness, mine is hissing too. Where are you from ? City/county ?

 

Hi Set,

Welcome to the site!

Do you have a habit of listening to your music very loud? Super loud?

Have you paid a visit to your friendly neighborhood ENT yet? If so, did he or she suggest to use a steroid to see if that would do the trick?

Just hang in there man. Believe me, we all know how rough it is at first. It feels like your world is coming to an end and the anxiety squeezes you like a lemon! The first thing you need to keep in mind is that tinnitus will not kill you! Hopefully, it will go away for you. In my view, all tinnitus is just an anxiety attack. If you view it in that light, you can live with it. As the weeks and months pass, your brain will get used to the sound and disqualify it from getting your attention. Note this is a gradual process, but for the majority of folks who have it, this is the case.

 

Thanks It's in both now, started in one though. But it's louder in the right ear. I actually experienced that ringing from time to time at a few particularly loud concerts. It would usually just last until I go to sleep that night, then it'd disappear. I'm from Serbia btw.

Yeah :/ I've been using those noise cancelling earphones for years and I listen to extreme metal a lot so that didn't help at all... I stopped using them the day it started though. I still listen to music but on low volume.

I went to 2 ENT's and 1 audiologist. They all prescribed me different nose drops because they thought my eustachian tube was clogged from nose secretion. It was leaking pretty bad at that time (most likely an allergy), but after using the drops it stopped, yet the ringing persisted, so I think it's not that. I'm taking Aculipon, Xyzal and Neuroforte at the moment. Dunno about steroids though. I'm going to a 4th doctor next week, so will ask her about it. I've also heard hyperbaric chamber treatment can help.

Thanks :/ The day the ringing was worst I was quite distraught, but I kind of accepted it that day and the ringing subsided after that. Stress definitely has a role in making it worse. Like a month ago I probably wouldn't have been able to type out all this from all the anxiety but now I'm pretty calm. There's nothing much I can do about it so I'm just trying not to think about it too much. Just hoping it stays like this and doesn't get worse.

 

Hey Set,

I agree with state that you cannot do much at this point, i however know what we all here have to do - help out to bring awareness. We must get attention from medical field to get this sorted out. I personally cannot imagine lovong with this even if i get used to it the only thing can keep all of us - sufferers is knowledge that there is a lot of research and work in progress and researches get decent funding and progress is going. Problem is, it is monimal right now. This needs to chnage.

P.S.

Sorry for typo's, writting from my cell right now.

 

Hey Set,

to me it seems like your T is noise-induced, I also have a hissing type and I feel many get that after noise trauma. It is not nice to have something like this with young age, but apparently the healing chance is higher the younger you are as well. You don't have it for too long and most likely it will settle after some time and who knows, maybe you have luck and it will completely go away. Just avoid loud noise for some time, eat healthy, exercise and sleep well. Unfortunately there is not much more you can do at the moment. Hang in there and good luck to you!